The Philadelphia Eagles offensive line’s gotten a lot of attention over the Summer, and on September 6th, they’ll get even more. A few of their members will appear in ESPN’s ‘Body Issue’.
Two years ago you didn’t have to do a ton of searching to hear or read some criticism of the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line. Halapoulivaati Vaitai couldn’t play. Jason Kelce was too small, and Jason Peters was old and got hurt too much.
You should never challenge competitors though, and the Eagles O-line transformed criticism into motivation. That motivation became a key component that helped Philly all the way to their first Super Bowl victory in team history. In the process, the Eagles offensive line was given the Built Ford Tough Offensive Line of the Year award just one night before the team took the Lombardi Trophy.
After two seasons in which their franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, was unable to complete the regular season and lead his team into the postseason (that wasn’t the fault of the offensive line), Philly got serious about adding depth to their offensive front.
They’ve tried everything. They’ve drafted guys. They’ve signed guys. They’ve even brought back familiar faces and tried an experiment where they’ve taken a rugby star and tried to teach him how to play tackle. Now, they think they’ve got things close to the way they want them.
Again, they’re walking into a regular season where they’re seen as having one of the best O-lines in football. They’ll have to prove it on the field, but things are looking up in Philly.
The adoration they’ve received has even grabbed the attention of ESPN the Magazine editors. Now, several members of Philly’s offensive line will be featured in ESPN’s Body Issue. They include Brandon Brooks, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, and Lane Johnson.
Look for that on newsstands on September 6th. As fate would have it, this is ESPN’s final print edition of the magazine. That ends a 21-year era, but fans shouldn’t be worried. ESPN previously announced in April that the magazine would continue as an online publication.